Snack Bar!

I don’t know the story behind this sign, but I love it:

It sits at 8,500′ on the top of Signal Peak, just behind the Western State College of Colorado campus.

My gal Friday and I decided it would be a good afternoon jaunt. I wanted to hike Mt. Crested Butte but wasn’t sure the weather would hold, so rather than risk a potentially fruitless trip, we stayed local. I carried a full day pack to help in my training efforts. Gotta get used to the weight on my shoulders!

The round trip (according to BLM’s site) is about 10 miles with nearly 1,000′ of elevation gain and took just over two hours. Guess what? This being my first try on this run, I set a personal record. Yup.

The weather was perfect. Cloud cover provided a much needed reprieve from the typical afternoon heat. We encountered very few people out on the trail and enjoyed a nice snack at the top.

As I made my way down, I noticed some awesome colors behind Tenderfoot Mountain. Unfortunately, I only had my BlackBerry with me, but I captured this picture:

Following my run, I decided to try a technique that JCarr has often told me about. My house is a five minute walk to the river. I went straight there and sat down in it, shoes, shorts and all. It was freezing. And glorious. I’m no scientist, but apparently the cold water constricts your muscles and helps flush out the lactic acid and other nasty soreness inducing buggers. I sat for 10 minutes or so and stood up with a new pair of legs. It felt fantastic.

It was another great day in an even greater place. I love calling Gunnison home.